Rain and Tears
by AlexaNDYE
Summary: Pepper walks in on Tony kissing another woman. Tony runs after her and tries to explain what she saw, but she doesn't want to listen to him. A storm rolls in, leaving Pepper and Tony swimming in rain, and tears. A one-shot. Rated T for language. IM2


**A/N: This idea came into my head one night. I spent probably a couple hours on it. I apologize for any grammatical errors and/or spelling errors. **

Tony ran to the front door of his house, breathing heavily and fumbling for his keys. The rain fell hard from the sky, pounding hard on the rooftop of the mansion. _God, what have I done? Pepper hates me… she hates me..._

He dug through his tuxedo coat pockets and then the inner pockets. _Shit!_ He dug his hands in his pockets, finally feeling the cold ridges from the keys. His hands were shaking, making it hard for him to properly insert the key into the keyhole. Once he heard the click of the door, he pushed it open, and ran right into the living room. He looked around and saw nothing. Tony mindlessly dropped the keys and didn't even bother to close the front door.

He had to find her; he had to explain his actions to her.

"Pepper!" Tony yelled. He ran through the living room and towards his bedroom. Lightning flashed, lighting up areas of the house for two seconds before sending out a loud boom to the Santa Monica area. "JARVIS, where's Pepper?" He asked the ceiling.

No answer.

"JARVIS?" Tony asked again. Even in a power outage, JARVIS would be running on the back up generator's power. Oh, right. _I shut JARVIS off today so he could go through the upgrades I've been working on…_

Tony ran upstairs and whipped his head around, looking for the red head that was notorious for running his life like it was the most simplistic task in the world. He looked at their dresser and saw the doors swung open. He found her clothes scattered all across the room. He could almost picture Pepper angrily pulling all of her clothes out and throwing them across the room in ever direction. Tony's frown grew deeper.

He really hurt her this time.

He ran down the stairs and towards the living room. "Pepper!"

He ran down the stairway that led to his workshop. Tony quickly punched in his access code and looked in all four corners. He saw Dummy and his annoying mechanical moving sounds; he ignored it completely. Panic washed over him and within a second, he was out of the workshop. He swung the glass door open, almost making it hit the glass window-wall adjacent to it.

Tony ran towards the kitchen and planted his hand against the wall in search of the light switch. Once he found it, he slid his hand up and immediately looked around. The fridge was closed and the appliances were still in their appropriate cupboards. He thought all was normal in the kitchen until his eyes drifted towards the counter top that faced the living room. He saw a pen and a piece of paper from a notepad. He picked up the piece of paper and only saw the first letter of his name. His mouth gaped in shock.

She was going to write him a good-bye letter. Pepper was actually going to run away from him.

Tony looked closer and saw two dips in the paper. Those dips looked like dried drops of water but he knew it wasn't water. It was Pepper's tears of pain and anger. He lowered the piece of paper, feeling defeated in his efforts to find his personal assistant, but something else caught his eye. His eyes drifted out of the kitchen and into the living room. The balcony doors were open, clearly embracing the storm that was being showcased outside. He placed the paper back down, on top of the counter, with his mouth slowly gaping. He ran towards the opened balcony doors and popped his head out. He found Pepper bunched up against the railing. Her knees were drawn to her chest, her hands were wrapped around her legs, and her head was buried in between her chest and knees. Her red hair was soaking wet, almost making it change colors into a light brown.

Pepper was still in her dress. The dress she wore to the Junction Ball that they had attended just a few hours ago. It was a beautiful light shade of blue, but the rain made it change into a darker and deeper color.

He walked out onto the balcony, ignoring the rain that poured down on them. Tony slowly kneeled in front of her and frowned at her body's form. Even with the storm, he still heard her faint sobbing.

He extended his arm and gently brushed his hand against the back of hers. "Pepper…"

Pepper slowly looked up at him and saw his worried facial expression through the strands of her soaked hair that streamed down in front of her face.

"C'mon," Tony started, gripping three of her fingers with his hand. "We need to get you inside, or else you'll catch a cold."

Pepper lowered her head back down to his original position and mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Tony leaned forward, trying figure out what she was saying.

"You're an asshole, Tony." She angrily looked up at him.

"Pepper—"

"Don't!" She shoved him back with her arms, making him fall flat on his butt. His bottom landed on top of the balcony with a small splash. He looked at her with his eyes slightly wide, shocked that she had actually pushed him away.

"Let me explain—"

"No, Tony." Pepper got up from her hunched position and angrily pointed her index finger. "You don't get to explain how you felt that woman up and kissed her like _our_ relationship didn't even exist!"

"Pepper, you're not listening to me—" He tried to tell her but the sound of the pouring rain and Pepper's angry voice interrupted him.

"I know what I saw." She felt her mouth shake. "I was standing there for at least a minute. You were kissing that stupid bitch from HUA Corp!"

"I wasn't—"

Streams of tears were flowing from Pepper's eyes. Her mascara was running down her face like fresh ink being smeared by a finger. "I trusted you, Tony. I trusted you as a friend, as my boyfriend, and as my boss."

Tony briefly looked down at the puddles of water forming in front of his legs, drowning in his own disappointment.

"I'm sorry." He felt his eyes start to water. Pepper shook her head at him in denial. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't—"

"I didn't kiss her, Pepper." He tried to explain. Tony slowly got up, and Pepper watched him. She watched him try to move closer to her. He reached for her arm that lay at her side but she thwacked it away.

"Don't. Touch me." She threatened him.

"She told me she wanted to talk about some project her boss was planning—"

"Shut up." She told him with a deep voice.

"Next thing I knew, she was kissing me." He told her, but Pepper shook her head in disbelief.

"You're a fucking asshole, Tony!" She spat at him. "I don't even know what I'm doing here! I should've moved out and—and—and—"

"Finished that letter on the counter?" He finished her sentence.

"I should've moved out and left while you were still occupied sticking your tongue down her throat." Pepper angrily told him.

"Pepper, please—"

"I hate you, Tony." She softly told him. "I fucking hate you. You're the worst person that could've ever entered my life. I wish…" Pepper couldn't find the last words.

"…What?" Tony asked her. "Wish that I was dead? Wish that I had died of palladium poisoning? Wish that Vanko and Hammer killed me?" He saw her hurt expression in her eyes. They both knew that she would never have the heart to say any of those things to his face. She wasn't like that.

Pepper shook her head at him and walked towards the doors. She was done talking to him. The only thing on her mind was taking all of her belongings and moving away from California. She had it all planned in her head. She would move to Washington, get a job at the White House, and be able to put all of the past behind her—but her train of thought was interrupted when a cold, wet, and rough hand grasped her wrist, yanking her back into the pouring rain.

"Don't, Pepper." He told her, staring down at her. "Don't leave like this."

"Let go of me." She tried tugging her wrist out of his tight grip but nothing worked.

"Tell me." He angrily told her with a deep, and shaking breath. "Finish that god damn sentence."

She tried to jerk her hand free again, but no such luck. Tony's grip was too tight for her. She hated it, she hated _him._ She hated how much he had hurt her. She hated his past, she hated how long he always spent on the suit, she hated how dependable he was on JARVIS—all these thoughts poured into her mind while she mindlessly started to aggressively tug her wrist free.

"Let go of me!" She shouted again. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The more she thought about that woman kissing him the more tears formed, ruining her mascara even more. "Let go of me…" Pepper tried fighting again but she felt her strength quickly deplete. Without even thinking, she started hitting his chest with her jailed hand. He looked down at her with the same frowned expression and watched as she hammered away at his chest. She brought her other fist up and started whacking at him repeatedly, but Tony stood his ground and let her relinquish her feelings.

"I hate you!" She screamed, lunging herself at him. He caught her in his arms, still letting her pound away at his chest with her balled up fists. He released her wrist once he felt her strength give out. Her palms rested on his chest for a few seconds before being engulfed in his arms. Tony wrapped her arms around her and rested his check on top of her head.

Pepper never stopped mumbling, "I hate you". He closed his eyes and softly shushed her. Her body couldn't take it anymore. With no strength left, her body crumbled into his arms, making both of them slump to the ground. Tony fell on his bottom with Pepper occupying the space between his legs. He sat there, holding her, hearing her cry her heart out, and watching her tears stream down her face in pain. It wasn't something he thought he'd ever live to see.

Tony opened the small closet in the hall way and took out a white fluffy blanket. He looked down at it in his hands and slowly closed the door. The last time he had to take this blanket out was when he and Pepper were watching a movie. They were snuggling under the blanket, giggling as his hands roamed around her waist, and planting small kisses on her neck. Reminiscing of the moment made a small smile form on his lips, but that smile quickly faded when he remembered why he was getting the blanket in the first place.

He walked towards his bedroom and saw Pepper's hunched over form on top of the bed. Her hair was damp, and she was wearing a pair of grey sweats and a pink spaghetti strap tank top. Her knees met her shoulders and, she was hugging her legs, looking for warmth.

Tony walked around the bed to sit next to her. He had already changed into a warm pair of jeans, and a dark cotton t-shirt. He plopped down on the bed next to her and lightly brushed his forearm against the side of her thigh. She turned her head to look away and began to shiver. Tony unfolded the blanket and draped it across her shoulders and around her body. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed it gently but she shrugged it off.

"Pepper…" Tony breathed, feeling miserable.

"Go away." She mumbled.

"I'm—"

"Don't even say it, Tony." She scolded him. Pepper turned her head to face him. "You fucked up—you kissed that girl, and you knew of the consequences, so don't even apologize because I will _never_ forgive you."

The rain still poured loudly against the windows of the bed room. The lights in the room were very dim, but every now and then, the lightning would light up the room for a split second. Pepper was actually terrified of lightning, but considering her current condition, she could care less about the rumbling it caused.

Tony's frown deepened. "I didn't kiss her, Pepper." He tried to tell her. "She abruptly started kissing me when she led me into that room—"

"I _don't_ fucking care how she led you into the bed room—"

"No, Pepper, you're not listening to me—" He practically yelled.

"No, Tony! You're not listening to me!" She screamed at him. "I don't want to fucking hear how you cheated on me!"

Tony hung his head low and brushed it against her shoulder. He hated how their relationship was reduced to ashes, screaming, yelling, and tears, just because a woman forced herself on his lips.

Pepper scooted away and mumbled, "I'm resigning. I'm moving out in the morning."

He nodded and felt tears form in the corners of his eyes. He knew he couldn't change her mind. He would just end up angering her even more. He'd probably cause her to throw some projectiles at his head.

Without saying a word, he left the bedroom and closed the door. He tried his best not to shed the tears that were building up. Tony ended up going back into the same closet in the hallway for his own blanket. He took out a red blanket and a gold pillow case. He filled the case with a naked pillow that sat on the shelf. He went into the living room, placed the pillow at one end and the blanket at the other.

Pepper's tear dried eyes opened slightly when she saw the sunlight shine through the windows. The only tasks that were on her mind were to grab all of her belongings and get the hell out of his technology induced mansion… house… whatever you want to call it.

She quickly got out of bed and immediately began to sniff. She never thought she'd end up leaving him like this. She'd always imagine they'd grow old together with a couple of kids, and grand kids. She threw all of her belongings in the suitcase, and felt tears form at her eyes. Pepper took her hand and wiped it across her face. She closed her eyes and let the tears trail down her cheeks. She couldn't stop crying.

She'd hate herself in the future for never giving him a chance. Pepper could see herself in the future if she actually moved out of his life. She would get married to another man, and they would have a couple of cute adorable kids. But somewhere in that happy marriage, she'd wonder about Tony; how was he, is he doing okay, does he still love me?

Pepper wiped the remaining tears away and looked up at the ceiling. _JARVIS._

She walked out of the bedroom, and towards the staircase that led to Tony's workshop. She looked around the living room and saw a red blanket and gold pillow neatly placed at one end of the couch. She furrowed her eyebrows and ran down the stairs. _Where did Tony even go?_ She punched in her access code and opened the glass door.

"JARVIS?" She called out.

"Yes, Miss Potts?" The AI answered.

"Can you hack into security cameras?"

"Of course, but the legal documents stating such procedures would land you in prison for quite some time."

"Can you do it, or not?" She sternly asked.

"State the desired location."

"Kinsley Mansion." Pepper said, remembering the location of last night's event. "It was a room nearest to the indoor fountain."

"Location acquired. Please state the appropriate time frame."

"It was around 8 PM." She folded her arms across her chest.

"Processing video feeds. This may take a few minutes."

"JARVIS?" Pepper mumbled.

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Tony went?"

"Mister Stark left earlier this morning to go to the R&D meeting." The AI responded.

"The R&D meeting?" Pepper gasped. She had actually forgotten about that meeting—but Tony attended it. _Why would he—_

"Exact location acquired. Time frame acquired. Now pulling up video feeds." JARVIS announced. One of the big screens flashed before showing the camera's contents. She saw a woman enter the room—then she saw Tony trailing behind her.

Pepper saw a sly grin spread across the woman's face before she turned around to face Tony.

"So, you wanted to talk about some projects your boss wanted to plan?" Tony asked her.

Pepper's mouth suddenly gapped. _Was Tony actually telling the truth?_

"Oh, you know my boss, always planning things." The woman started to giggle. Pepper's fists started to ball up and her teeth began to clench. The woman was asking for a death wish.

"Did he want to start planning on that new engine for the stealth planes that Lockheed Martin is working on?" Tony asked her. He actually sounded like he was doing business with her.

Pepper's eyes were glaring at the woman because she knew what would happen next. Within the next five seconds, the woman abruptly lunged herself at Tony. Her lips went straight on his, sucking on his bottom lip, and moaning loudly. Pepper watched Tony's actions right after. She was so angry at him that she half expected him to kiss back—but he didn't. She watched the screen and saw Tony gently push her away.

"What are you doing?" Tony exclaimed, keeping her back with his forearm.

"What's wrong, Tony?" The woman asked him with a small smile and a seducing voice.

"Why were you—?"

"What's wrong? You're single. I'm single." She started to brush the back of her hand against his chest, and around the RT.

Tony swatted her hand away and shook his head. "I can't—"

"Can't what? You're not taken, are you?" The woman began to grow suspicious.

Pepper's mouth slowly gapped. _He couldn't tell her because we had agreed to keep our relationship a secret._

"I can't… I can't break her heart." Tony breathed, looking down at the woman. "I love her. She means the world to me. I can't lose her."

"Don't worry, I love you, too." The woman gasped before pressing her lips against his, forcing her weight on him.

"Mm!" Tony managed to get her off but a small gasp behind him made him widen his eyes in shock. He swiftly turned around and saw Pepper standing there. Pepper looked at herself; she saw the disbelief, the pain, the anguish, and the sadness in her own eyes.

Tony walked down the stairs and heavily sighed. He looked through the glass door and saw Pepper standing there in the same clothes she had slipped on last night. He saw her looking up at the big monitor. Once his eyes trailed to the video footage, his mouth slowly gapped. He punched in his access code, walked and stood beside her. Pepper looked over at his form and saw his disappointed expression gaze up at the footage.

"Pepper, wait!" Tony shouted. He ran after her, leaving the video camera's range.

The video feed ended, making Tony and Pepper stand next to each other in silence.

"Tony…" Pepper mumbled. He looked over at her with a slight frown.

"You didn't have to look at that, Pepper." He displeasingly told her. "You could've just left."

"You tried to tell me… and I didn't listen." She pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said those nasty things to you… I'm sorry I told you I hated you—"

"_Why_ did you say those things, Pepper?" His gaze locked with hers.

"Because I was _angry_, Tony." She started to break down. "I was angry that you were kissing another woman—and—and—"

"And what?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "Did you actually think I would cheat on you?"

"I—I don't know…"

"Pepper, I love you. The only way I'd ever cheat on you is if someone brainwashed me into thinking every girl in the world was a beautiful, awesome, amazing, and loveable red head, with the cutest smile, and the smoothest hands." He told her with a small smile.

Pepper smiled back, and almost felt like suddenly hugging him. He moved his hand up to her face so he could cup her cheek. He brushed his thumb against her cheek, and near her nose. "I love you, so much."

Pepper closed her eyes, and felt a small tear roll down her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw his head lean forwards. He brushed his lips against hers and began to slowly kiss her. It was a sweet, smoothing and loving kiss, one that seemed to last for eternity. Their lips parted and their foreheads greeted each other.

"I love you too, Tony." She breathed. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you in the first place."

"We've only been in a relationship for two months, Pepper. It takes a lot to gain one's trust." He widened his smile.

"Do you think we could start over?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He breathed. "Last night didn't even happen."

"Fury is on line one, sir, would you like me to—"

"Mute." Tony breathed before leaning in to kiss his girlfriend.

Poor JARVIS. He rescues Pepper and Tony's relationship, and then he gets muted. :(


End file.
